Automobile-signal



W. F. AND W R. RICHARD? AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16,1916- RENEWED NOV. 22.1920.

PatentedMar 29, 19211,

2 SHEETS-SHEET1.

INVENTURS Wk 6 W,

WM FM 4.

by Q6 01 W. F. AND W. R. RICHARDS AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL. APPLiCATION FILED JUNE 16, 1916 RENEWED NOV. 22,- 1520.

Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

. FORE:

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- lNyEN ATTURNEYE.

New York, and WILLARD zen of the United States,

tors is preferably arranged'at the vehicle, either on the body WILLARD r. RICHARDS, or nnrnw, AND WILLARD RKGHARDS, or nurrerlo, NEW

"roan, ASSIGNORS T0 UNITY DEVELDIPMENT CQMPA'NY, or narrate, NEW YORK,

A COPARTNERSHIP.

AUTOMOBILE-SIGNAL.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be .it known that we, WILLARD F. RICH- Anns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Depew, in the county of Erie and State of ll. RIonAnns,a citiresiding at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the class of visual signals or indicators designed IDQIGPZIIUW ularly for use on automobiles to indicate to following vehicles as well as trailio o'liicers whether the driver proposes to stop or to turn to the right or the left.

its principal object is the provision of simple and reliable signal or indicator oi this character which is visible both day and night to the drivers of following cars, as well as traflic ofiicers and pedestrians. I

A further objectof the invention is the provision of a movable indicator which is so combined with a warning light that the latter is illuminated in the act of moving the indicator from-its inoperative to its operative position andis extinguished in the act of returning it to inoperative position.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a transverse section of an automobile equipped with the signals. Fig. 2 'is an enlarged side elevation of one of the signals, partly in section, showing the signal arms withdrawn.- Fig. 3 is a vertical section on line 3-3, Fig. 2. Fig. i is a similar section on line l-e l, Fig. 2, showing one or the signal-arms projected. Fig. 5 is a view of the lower portion of one of the signal arms showing the switch segment carried by it and the cooperating contact mounted on the casing. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line -6--6, Fig. 4-. Fig.7 is a side elevation showconstruction of the signal arms. Fig. 8 is a top plan view thereof, partly in section. I r

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several. views. 1

One of these improved signals or indicaeach side of ing a modified Specification of Letters latent.

conspicuous and plainly and running around suitabl l, as shown Patented Mar. 28 rear.

1323? Serial No. 425,905.

in Fig. 1, or on the dash board or other suitable part. T hey are identical in construction and a description of one will there fore apply to both.

In the construction shown in the drawings,

the day signal consists of one or more vertically-swinging arms or semaphores 52 mounted at 'or near their lower ends on a horizontal pivot 3 carried by the lower por tion of a suitable upright casing, shield or. housing t supported on the side of the body by brackets 5, 6. This casing may be cheaply stamped from sheet metal. it is closed at its back, sides and top and open at its "front side which faces away from the side of the vehicle. In the construction shown, two signal arms are associated with each casing and the latter has two compart ments 7 for receiving them, the hack oi the casing being indented or doubled centrally and longitudinally, to form a vertical partition 8. The casing is of the proper form and dimensions to completely house and conceal the signal arms when swung upward and retracted into it, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and. the right-hand casing of Fig. 1. The signal arms bear suitable direction characters or visual indications and when there are two arms at each side of the vehicle, two of them may bear the words Left and Right and the others the words Slow and Stop. f

Any suitable means may be employed for p'ojecting and retracting the signal arms.

he devices shown in the drawings comprise vertically-swinging hand-levers 9 mounted on the dash board or fro t wall of the body, one for each arm. Eacl. oi? these levers is connected with the companion signal arm by a cord or cable 10 attached to the arm at ll y arranged guide pulleys 12-, 13 and it. .These levers may be held in position to retain the signals in their retracted position by any suitable means, the devices shown in thedrawings consisting of friction segments 15 against thesidesot' which the hand levers bear. If desired, however, the levers may be provided with positive loclring devices.

Suitable means are preferably provided to give the signal arms a tendency to swing into their operative or projected. position,

when the hand-levers 9 are pushed forward to release them. The devices illustrated in the d 'awings consist of springs 16 coir d about the pivot: 23 and having their lower arms 17 secured to the lower bracket 6 and their upper arms 18 engaged in notches 19 formed in the inner or lower ends of the sigi'ial arms. These springs are under slight tension in the retracted position of the signal arms, so that as soon as one of the arms is released by moving the corresponding handlever forward, the spring of said arm swings it out\ ard whereupon the weight of the arm completes its downward movement.

The signal arms preferably bear sueh'visual direction-indications both on their front and rear sides, so that the proposed move ments of the driver of the car areindicated toti'atfic otlicers and pedestrians as well as the drivers of following cars.

1n the retracted position of the signal arms, they are all housed and hidden within their casings t and held in that position by the frictionah engagement of the hand levers 9 with their segments 15. the levers under these conditionsoccupying the rear-.

ward position shown in Fig. 3. \Vhen it is desired to project any of the signal arms, the driver simply pushes the corresponding hand-lever to its forward limit, thus relaxing'the cable, 10 and allowing the arm to swing down to its horizontal or operative position, in which its indications are fully and clearly exposed on both sides. To throw the signal-arin off, said hand lever is swung to its rearward position, thus fully retractin the arm into the casing.

or the purpose of illuminating the sides of the signal arms at night. a pair of elec tric'lights or lamps 20, 21 are arranged on the front and rear sides of the casing r adjacent to or in substantial alinement with the. pivot 3 of the arms, as shown in the drawings. These lamps are suitably secured to the casing and are included in a suitable lighting circuit hereinafter described- The two lamps associated with each casing face forwardly and rearvardly, respectively, and are provided with lenses 22. 23 of contrasting colors, such for instance as a red lens for the rear lamp and a blue or green one for the front lam these li hts serving as signals to trafiic ofticers and the drivers of following ears. These lamps are provided in the outer sides of their casings with lateral light-emitting apertures 24;, 25, arranged to illinnin'ate: the '-i;'ront and rear sides of the signa-lv arms whenthey are low I. ered to their operative position, as shown in Fig. 4, and in Fig. 1 in connection with the.-

signal arm, bearing the indication Left.Z The lamps 20 and 21 of each arm thus perform the double function of signal lightsand illuminators for both sides of'the arm, the rear red light23' warning the, drivers of retracted position following cars, While the front blue or green light 22 serves as a signal to traffic officers as well as a warning light to pedestrians.

Both of the lamps 20 and 21 at the same side of the vehiclr are preferably included in a circuit which is broken when the signal arm or arms are ret-nacted and which is established when they are projected. In theexample shown in the drawings, one of the terminals of each electric lamp is connected through the corresponding pair of lamps 20.

21 by the engagement of the contacts 29 and 30. as shown in Fig. t. thereby illuminating both sides of the arm, as hereinbefore described.

Each of the contacts 29 carried by the casing is preferably backed by a c'iishioning spring 31. in order to insure a good contact between them and theilugs 30.

ln addition to the direction indications, Left." Right.- etc., each signal arm preterably carries at or near its outer end a warning lamp or light 32. a colored electric light being desirable for this purpose. The circuits in which these movable lights are arranged are preferably so organized that said lights are illuminated immediately after the signal arms emerge from the casing and remain lighted so long as they are projected, thus obtaining the advantage of a swinging or waving warning light which is certain to attract the attention of the drivers of folflowing cars aswell as that of traffic ofiicers, The preferred circuit is illustrated in Fig.

11 4. where 32" indicates a wire running from one of the lamp terminals to a contact or switch-segment 33 formed on or secured to the. inner portion of the signal arm concen-. trically with its pivot 3, or substantially so, and cooperating with a spring-pressed or other suitable contact-pin 34 mounted on the adjacent portion of thecasing 4. This contact-pin is connected by a branch wire 35 with one side of the battery 27a The other terminal of tlie warning light onthe signal arm is connected by a. wire 36 withthe. metallic body of the arm, this lamp circuit being completed through the pivot 3 of the arm, the casing and the lower bracket 6. The contaet-seg ment 33 is of such length and isso ii-r nged relz'itiv ely to. the. contact pin 34 that tie" segment clears-the pin in the fully ofthe signal arm. as shown in Fig."5,.but engages said pin and 130 driver of the car.

gamers closes the circuit as soon as the arm emerges from the casing, the circuit remaining closed until the arm is again fully retracted.

A ,suitable controlling switch 37 is arranged in the lamp circuit.

From the foregoing it will be understood tliatupon throwing on one of the signal arms at night, the warning light 3-32 carried by the armjs first illuminated, producing by the sweep of the arm a conspicuous warning signal of the proposed movement of the :l lG moment the actuated arm reaches its lowermost or horizontal position, its switch lug 30 engages the comanion contact 29 on the casing, thereby establishing'the lighting circuit of the fixed front signal and warning lamp E20 and the fixed rear warning lamp 21 and simultaneously illuminating both'sides of the arm by thelight emitted through the lateral apertures 24;, 25 of said lamps. llpon withdrawing the projected signal arm, the light circuit is broken, extinguishing the stationary and movable lights associated with the arm. This intermittent lighting of these lamps renders the signal very striking and efi'ectually g uards against collisions and accidents.

If desired, the various arms may be used in different combinations. For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the arm marked Left i -may be loweredto its horizontal position and the arm marked Slow placed in a diagonal or intermediate position, indicating that the driver proposes to turn to the left slowly.

By the operating mechanism herein shown and described, the signal arms are thrown on or to their projected position by simply pushing the hand levers 9 forward, the arms 'descending by gravity after, being started by the springs 16 and remaining lowered by their weight, thus avoiding the necessity ofholding them in that position by means of the levers and rendering the mechanism more convenient in use.

Although the signals are herein shown as the sides oi an automobile body, they may obviously be mounted on other parts ol' the car without affecting their operation.

While we prefer the construction of the signal arms shown in Figs. 1-5, wish to be limited to that particular embodiment of the invention as the same may be modified without departing from the scope of the invention as covered by the ap w-nded claims. For example, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, the arm may be hollow or box-like and provided on. its front and rear sides with transparent panels 38 hearing the direction indications, the arm containing lamps 39'f0r illuminating said panels at night. In this case, the lenses 40 of the movable we do not warning lamp &1 may be secured in openings in the front and rear walls of the arm.

We claim as our invention: 1. V A signal of the character described, comprising a vertically-swinging signal arm pivoted at one end, a \warnil'lg lamp mounted to dircct the light against the side of the arm when projected, and means for illuminating both of said lamps when the arm is projected and extinguishing both of them when the arm is retracted.

2. A signal of the character described, comprising a vertically-swinging signal arm pivoted at one end, a warning lamp mounted on said arm to move therewith, a stationary signal lamp located adjacent to the pivot of said arm and having its lens arranged to face away from the side of the arm, the casing of said stationary lamp having in its outer side a light-emitting aperture arranged to direct the light against the side of the arm when 1')rojccted,'an electric circuit including both of said lamps, and switch-means controlling said circuit and operated by said. arm to illuminate both of said lamps when the arm 'is projected'and extinguish both of them when the arm is retracted.

8. A signal of the character described, comprising a swinging signal arm pivoted at one end, a warning lamp mounted on said armto move therewith, oppositely-facing and dili'crentlydistinguished lamps an ranged on the front and rear sides oi the ari'n-pivot and cooperating with-said warning lamp, and means controlled by said arm Forilluminating said three lamps when the arm is projected and extinguishing them when the arm is retracted.

4. A signal of the character described, comprising a vertieally-swinging signal-arm pivoted at one end, an electric lamp arranged. adjacent tothc pivot of the arm and having a light-emitting aperture arranged to direct the light against the face of the arm, a warning lamp mounted on the arm to move therewith, an' electric circuit including said lamps. and switch devices in said circuit controlled by the movements of said arm. said switch devices being arranged to close the circuit through said movable lamp inadvancc ol' the circuit through the other lamp.

5. A signal of the character described, comprisinga casing, a vertically-swinging signal-arm pivoted at one end to said casing, an electric lamp arranged adjacent to. the pivot of the arm and having a lightemitting aperture arranged to direct the light against the face of the arm, a warning lamp mounted on the arm to move therewith, an electric circuit includmg said lamps, and

light against the face of the arm, a Warning lamp mounted on the arm to move there- 15 with, an electric circuit including said lamps. and switch devices in said circuit controlled by the movements of said arm, said switch devices being arranged to close the circuit through said movable lamp im- 20 mediatcly after the signal-arm emerges from said casing and to keep the circuit closed during the swinging movement of the arm to its operative position.

WILLARD I RICHARDS. \VILLARD R. RICHARDS; 

